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Society of the Black Cloak
The Society of the Black Cloak, also called the Black Cloak Society or simply the Black Cloak, is a dark organization of wizards and magicians. Very little is actually known about the society, but suspicions abound. It may be some form of brotherhood, as all of the confirmed members are male. Most of the information about the Society of the Black Cloak stems from its attempts to take control of the Land of the Green Isles. A copy of the Guidebook to the Land of the Green Isles drew Alhazred to the islands, letters discovered by Alexander revealed that Abdul Alhazred, with the help of his genie Shamir Shamazle, and the mysterious Shadrack were cooperating in the scheme. Members of the Black Cloak also seem to be protected from attempts at divination. The Oracle of the Winged Ones was unable to see which villain threatened Cassima, only able to make out the shape of a black cloak. Hierarchy There is almost no information about the hierarchy within the organization. It appears that, at one time, Abdul Alhazred was a minion of Mordack's -- although the extent and reasoning behind this are unclear. Shadrack seems to have been, at best, Mordack's equal within the group and certainly never served the wizard. He may be Alhazred's equal, though some evidence suggests he may be a higher ranking member as well. Shamir Shamazle is known to have been completely subservient to Abdul Alhazred, although this is most likely because of the genie's relationship to the one who holds his lamp not because of the structure of the Society of the Black Cloak. Notable Members *Abdul Alhazred *Mordack *Shadrack *Shamir Shamazle It is not clear if Mordack's is a member or not, but he is at least had some associations with members ofthe society; Shadrack via chess games and Abdul Ahazred. Abdul Alhazred positioned himself as one of his Mordack's minions and friends (but the vizier may have been secretly using him). It may be noted that although Hagatha and Manannan have close family ties to Mordack, there has been no evidence to either confirm or refute whether or not they are members as well. Uniform Though members do not literally wear black cloaks all of the time, it does seem to be a vital part of their uniform. Abdul Alhazred's wardrobe contained a multitude of black cloaks and several of Shamir Shamazle's disguises also involve use of a black cloak. Correspondence The Black Cloak Society seemed to have developed a means to instantly, or near instantly, send communication between each other. This is not unheard of, as the Eye Between the Worlds is capable of instantly communicating across the Multiverse (although only one way, and not to any specific targets). Letters between Alhazred and Shadrack took only a "matter of minutes" to be delivered. The means for doing this are unclear (and may simply have been the services of Shamir), but letters written by both Alhazred and Shadrack could be found in Alhazred's Chamber in the Castle of the Crown indicating that he, at least, was able to keep a copy of his own letters as well. Non-Canon AGDI Universe The Society of the Black Cloak is led by Morgeilen, the Father, and seeks only to prepare the world for his Ascension by usurping control from those who do not believe. It seems that the Ascension would grant Morgeilen the powers of his brother Legenimor, but would likely destroy the world -- purging all the unfaithful from it. In order to further these efforts, Hagatha and Caldaur ruled over Kolyma and sought to kil Graham, so that Morgeilen could inherit the Crown of the First King. Manannan specifically kidnapped Alexander to weaken Graham's resolve and, he hoped, allow him to be manipulated by Morgeilen. Lolotte's plan was two-fold -- her kidnapping of Edgar put Etheria in a vulnerable position, and she very nearly conquered Tamir by stealing Genesta's talisman. Malicia made several attempts to control Etheria to further the goals of the society as well. It adds the following members: *Morgeilen *Count Caldaur (former) *Lolotte (former) *Malicia (former) The Silver Lining Cassima's Quest Revenge of the Black Cloak Society King's Quest IX: It Takes Two to Tangle Real World The Society of the Black Cloak is an organization mentioned briefly in King's Quest VI: Heir Today Gone Tomorrow and expanded upon in the King's Quest Companion and even more greatly expanded upon in many fan creations, such as the games King's Quest II: Romancing the Stones and King's Quest III Redux by AGDI and The Silver Lining by Phoenix Online Studios. It also appears in the fan fiction Cassima's Quest, Revenge of the Black Cloak Society, King's Quest IX: It Takes Two to Tangle, and Cray's KQ Companion. Behind the Scenes From the King's Quest Omnipedia: : "The Black Cloak Society was one of the ideas created by Jane Jensen, rather than Roberta Williams; :::"The "Black Cloak Society" was never an actual term that I instigated or thought up. I'm not actually sure where that came from. The closest thought that I have on that subject is that: when I was working with Jane Jensen on King's Quest 6, and we thought up the evil vizier, we talked loosely about the possibility of putting Manannan, Mordack, and the vizier together as group -- possibly -- in a future King's Quest. There was loose reference to the possibility in King's Quest 6, although nothing was set in stone at that time. I think that it's possible that Jane Jensen might have mentioned the possibility (perhaps) in subsequent interviews on the subject, although, I'm not sure about that. Later on, I heard about the Black Cloak Society and kind of wondered where that phrase came from, but, I never refuted it as I thought it was kind of cool and, probably, would have gone on with the idea in future King's Quests had I had the chance. And, one final thing: Hagatha was never part in any discussion of a Black Cloak Society. ::: - Roberta Williams at SierraGamers (6-9-2003) : Based on this while Manannan may have at one point been considered for inclusion in the Black Cloaks (though this never bore any direct fruit), Hagatha was never intended to be a member. While Manannan and Mordack have direct interaction in KQ5, there is no reference to Manannan in relation to the Black Cloaks in KQ6. Likewise there is no material in the King's Quest Companion that suggests or suspects that Hagatha or Manannan are associated with the Black Cloaks either. : An item in KQ2 included a black cloak with a red velvet liner, which was the symbol of Count Dracula. Likewise an item in KQ7 included a Black Cloak, that belonged to Elspeth Tsepish. However these are not indication that Dracula or Elspeth were members of the Society of the Black Cloak. : Many of the other King's Quest villains such as Dahlia, Hagatha, sorcerer/enchanter (KQ1/KQ2), three sisters (KQ4), Lolotte, Witch of the Dark Forest, and Malicia wear dark or black robes (rather than cloaks), however this is not an indication that they are members of the Society of the Black Cloak. Although on a related note there may be some implication in first or second edition of King's Quest Companion that would imply that the sorcerer, enchanter, and Manannan, are one of the same individual, and is a member of another organization, the Magician's Guild." Similarities and Comparisons The inability of the Oracle of the Winged Ones to see Abdul Alhazred, and only make out his black cloak, is highly similar to the magic that protected Ad Avis from Aziza's scrying in Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire -- her magic was only able to make out a dark shape (which appeared to be a black cloak in the game's graphics.) External Links *King's Quest Omnipedia Category:Villain Groups Category:Black Cloak Society Category:King's Quest Factions Category:Needs Images Category:Magical Societies